Security → Re: NSA Mining Data In 9 American Multinational Internet Corps.

Really the tragedy is people think they actually have interesting complex lives and are truly individuals or special snowflakes when really they are as predictable as sheep in as field even without any high tech skull drudgery.

»m.nbcnews.com/technology ··· 10240840

OK so the NSA likely has a thicker file on me then most people but what does it mean, how does it impact or otherwise influence my life? Has it taken anything away from me or added anything significant? Who has a bigger influence on my life the NSA, Mastercard/Visa, the editors and reporters from where I get my 'news', etc?

Does anyone here know why I use my real name etc here and always have?

Blake

I think you told us once why you use your real name. But whether you did or not, it should be obvious why you do and why you feel it is more or less necessary for you to do so. Does this mean everyone finds it necessary to use their real names online? Of course not. The savvy will never use their real names and will strongly limit the sort of activities that help reveal who they are. Not everyone has a subscription to Netflix, not everyone uses social media, not everyone has a Google account, not everyone does anything in the cloud or ever will, not everyone has a cell phone. Not everyone uses web mail, not everyone posts "reviews" of purchased items on various websites that sell such items, etc.

That article you linked to assumes everyone is a sheeple either because they are too stupid not to be one or because, like you, they can't realistically avoid it. Not all of us fall into either category but you always conveniently act as though we don't exist when trying to prove your point.

Does the FBI have a dossier on you? If so, your life IS impacted...don't play naive dingbat with me.

At this point of the discussion(s), it should be painfully clear that the pervasiveness of the spying has been going on for more years than anyone knew. It's probably a hold-over from the McCarthy era.

I have little doubt that the Gov knows everything about who we all are. It's just not that hard to connect the dots anymore. And, aside from not letting people here know who 'you' are, and the advertisers on the 'net, I doubt we're fooling the spooks for a second.

Pandora's Box has been opened for quite a while it seems.

Agreed. And now that it's open it's very hard, if not impossible, to close it again without some Earth-shattering event(s).

Gummints very rarely if ever relinquish power once they have it. And there's more to a gummint than just it's elected representatives. There's a whole lot of people behind the scenes who don't want to relinquish their power, benefits or whatever.

The NSA is not going to go away. Neither is the IRS, DHS, TSA or any other three-letter agency. They may change names however.

The American people, as a whole, allowed these agencies to be created and expanded. They voted for the people that advocated and did it. For the most part the voters gave no thought whatsoever to the long term consequences. Even now a great many don't care. One day, perhaps sooner than we think, they will.

That's the question we should all have the answer for if we are to consider what could be allowed to extracted from meta data, and who it would apply to. If Obama wants to reassure the public etc then a clearer interpretation of this needs to occur/develop.
For how long meta data can remain relevant to a person, either accurate or time frame at which you are classed by it.Not forgetting the middle men that trade in personally identifiable meta data. That is a major concern not exposed. I'm sure it exists.
Want intelligence on someone....they have it too.

edit; Think of the apps you install on your to smart for your own good phones.